Vegetarian Entrees

Belly Button Soup
Black Bean Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Caribbean Black Beans and Rice
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Favorite Vegetable Soup
Fresh Tomato Pasta
Lentil Soup
Lentil Vegetable Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Mannicotti
Midwest Chowder
Pasta Besciamel
Peppery Vegetarian Rice
Potato Gnocci
Super Energy Kale Soup
Super Zuppa Minestrone Soup

Peppery Vegetarian Rice

An easy stir-fry recipe that makes use of leftover rice.
Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions:

PUT rice in a 1-quart saucepan and wash in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain and level the rice. Add 2 cups cold water. Bring water to a boil uncovered over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer the rice until most of the water has evaporated and little craters appear on the surface, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice, cover, and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. (This is best done the day before.)

HEAT a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat when ready to stir-fry the rice. When a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact, swirl in 2 teaspoons of oil, making sure the bottom of the wok is completely coated in oil. Add eggs and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, tilting the pan so that the egg covers the surface as thinly as possible to make a pancake. When the bottom is just beginning to brown and the pancake is just set, use a metal spatula to flip the pancake and allow it to set, about 5 seconds. Transfer to a cutting board. Cool, then cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces.

SWIRL 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil into the wok, add ginger and red pepper flakes, then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 10 seconds or until the ginger is fragrant. Add carrots and mushrooms and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the oil is absorbed. Swirl the broth into the wok and stir-fry 1 minute or until almost all the broth has evaporated. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, add the scallions and rice, and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up the rice with the spatula until it is heated through. Add pine nuts and soy sauce, sprinkle on the salt, pepper and the reserved egg pieces, and toss to combine.

2-3 as a main dish, or 4 as part of multicourse meal
From "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, With Authentic Recipes and Stories" by Grace Young (Simon & Schuster, 2010)

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/cgi-bin/nao/lifestyles/food_fitness/recipes/show_recipe.cgi?id=4749&template=template.html#storylink=cpy

Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Rum

If you don't like shrimp with the shells on, don't worry. Grace Young demonstrated this recipe for us, removing the shells and keeping only the tails.
Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons dark Jamaican rum
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium ripe tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Directions:

USING kitchen shears, cut through the shrimp shells two-thirds of the length down the back of the shrimp. Remove the legs and devein the shrimp, leaving the shells and tails on. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with lime juice for a few seconds. Rinse the shrimp, drain, and set on a plate lined with paper towels. With more paper towels, pat the shrimp dry. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, rum, soy sauce and ground white pepper.

HEAT a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the oil, add the garlic and the ginger, then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Push the aromatics to the sides of the wok, carefully add the shrimp and spread them evenly in one layer in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the shrimp begin to sear. Sprinkle on the salt and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the shrimp begin to turn orange. Add tomatoes, bell peppers and onions and stir-fry 1 minute or until the shrimp have turned almost totally orange. Swirl the ketchup mixture into the wok and stir-fry 1 minute or until the shrimp are just cooked through and the sauce coats the shrimp. Stir in the cilantro.

Serves 2-3 as a main dish, or 4 as part of multicourse meal
From "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, With Authentic Recipes and Stories" by Grace Young (Simon & Schuster, 2010)

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/cgi-bin/nao/lifestyles/food_fitness/recipes/show_recipe.cgi?id=4750&template=template.html#storylink=cpy

Cashew Chicken

An easy stir-fry recipe from wok guru Grace Young.
Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce, divided use
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided use
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry, divided use
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/2 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews

Directions:

COMBINE chicken, garlic, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon rice wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside. Combine broth, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.

HEAT a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil, add ginger, then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 10 seconds or until the ginger is fragrant. Push the ginger to the sides of the wok, carefully add the chicken and spread it evenly in one layer in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the chicken begin to sear. Stir-fry 1 minute, or until the chicken is lightly browned but not cooked through.

SWIRL the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the wok, add the sugar snaps, carrots, celery and cashews, and sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry 1 minute or until the sugar snaps are bright green. Restir the broth mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Serves 2-3 as a main dish, or 4 as part of multicourse meal
From "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, With Authentic Recipes and Stories" by Grace Young (Simon & Schuster, 2010)

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/cgi-bin/nao/lifestyles/food_fitness/recipes/show_recipe.cgi?id=4751&template=template.html#storylink=cpy

Cooking with a Wok

From: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/18/2008666/keys-to-stir-fry-success.html

I was in the presence of a wok doctor.
Award-winning cookbook author Grace Young was in Chapel Hill promoting “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Recipes and Stories,” in which she details common mistakes by home cooks who turn out gloppy braises in their woks, instead of crisp, intensely flavored stir-fries. Demoralized by their lack of success, their woks languish, unused and rusting.
That exactly described the state of wok affairs in my house. I have made many of the mistakes Young warns against. I have added cold oil to a cold wok. I have used sesame oil instead of peanut oil. I have dumped too much meat and sauce in the center of the wok. I have even tried to stir-fry soggy, formerly frozen, vegetables. My results ranged from OK to awful.

So I asked Young for a stir-fry lesson. It began as we unloaded ingredients and my wok from the car. With one look at the wok’s mottled and rusty appearance, she declared: “Oh, yeah. That wok needs a facial.”

We would soon get to that, but first Young would deftly show and teach me the basics. That’s a passion for Young, who says, “I feel most Americans end up with mediocre results because they’ve never been told how to stir-fry.”

Young, who lives in New York, used to be the test kitchen director for Time Life books. In the 1990s, craving a more personal project, she traveled back home to San Francisco to cook with her 70-year-old mother and 82-year-old father. Those trips home led to her first cookbook, “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.” Now on her third award-winning cookbook, Young is considered an expert on Chinese cooking.

The demo recipe she shows me is Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Rum, an example of food of the Chinese diaspora that shows how Chinese immigrants adapted to whatever ingredients were available (here, rum and lime juice) and adopted local cooking techniques.

The first thing to understand is that high heat is crucial to successful stir-fries. Home cooks have to maximize the heat that they have. On average, American stoves put out 7,000 British thermal unit, while wok burners in Chinese restaurants range from 80,000 to 150,000 Btu. Since home cooks are starting with such lower Btu, Young explains, anything that drops the temperature of a wok is bad.

That’s why you pat dry the meat and seafood before cooking. “If you put sopping wet shrimp in a wok, you are going to hear a sizzle then a ‘crrrch,’” Young says. That “crrrch” is the sound of the temperature dropping in the wok.

Young prepares all of her ingredients before she starts, a key step since the stir-fry takes only a few minutes. She minces garlic and ginger. She mixes together ketchup, rum and soy sauce for a sauce. She cuts tomato, green pepper and onion into thin slices. Everything is lined up next to the stove. Then she grabs a small saucer of water to test the heat of the wok.

“Here we go,” Young says.

She lights the gas burner to preheat the wok. She sprinkles water droplets onto the wok’s surface. When the water evaporates in 1 to 2 seconds, the wok is hot enough. She pours the oil down the sides of the wok and swirls to coat. She adds the aromatics – ginger and garlic in this case – and they sizzle for about 10 seconds. Then she adds the shrimp, spreading them in one layer so all are touching the surface.

“The beauty of a wok is the heat spreads up the sides and can be used as a cooking surface,” she says.

Once the shrimp start to sear, she adds the vegetables, tossing everything together with a slotted flexible metal spatula, often called a fish spatula. She stirs everything constantly until the shrimp are cooked through and then adds the sauce.

“Swirl in the sauce along the edge of the wok,” she instructs. “If you do it in the center, it takes down the temperature.”

The actual cooking – from lighting the stove to spooning the meal into serving bowls – took at most 5 minutes. (Prepping the vegetables and shrimp went quickly, too.) “It should be eaten as hot as possible,” Young says. We dig in, enjoying the crisp vegetables, the tang of the sauce, the tender shrimp.

Afterward, Young takes my wok in hand for its restoration. Scouring the wok with salt and oil, Young rubs the rust and dirt away. After a second facial, the wok has shed its rust and is on its way to a burnished patina.

Our lesson ends with Young’s final instructions: “Dr. Young says one more facial, and the patient should be fine.” 

See links for recipes from this article. They are listed in the appropriate category in my recipes:

Peppery Vegetarian Rice
Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp
Cashew Chicken 

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/18/2008666/keys-to-stir-fry-success.html#storylink=cpy

Lentil Vegetable Soup

I got this recipe from Tiffany Eastley.  It is delicious! Another legume recipe to add to my collection:-)

 

1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

15 min

Cook Time:

1 hr 30 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

·         1 pound French green lentils

·         4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)

·         4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)

·         1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

·         1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top

·         1 tablespoon kosher salt

·         1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

·         1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)

·         3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)

·         3 quarts chicken stock

·         1/4 cup tomato paste

·         2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar

·         Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.